Furniture-coupling.



No. 820,540. PATENTED MAY 15, 1906.- G. W. ZIMMERMAN & M. E. BURKE.

FURNITURE COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED 1330.23, 1904.

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IIllllllllllllllllllliilf m M W W 3 mwz WITNESSES:

ATTORN EYS UNITED s'rArns PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES W. ZIMMERMAN AND MORGAN E. BURKE, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO FRANK G. BARNES, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

- Fig. 2 is a transverse FURNITURE-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 15, 1906.

Application filed December 23, 1904. Serial No. 23 8,155.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES W. ZIMMER- MAN and MORGAN E. BURKE, citizens of the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State ofOhio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furniture-Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to a new and useful improvement in furniture-couplings.

The object of the invention is to provide a superior device of simple construction designed mo're especially for uniting the parts of a chair and comprising a comparatively small number of parts arranged and formed so that the parts of the chair may be readily assembled and rigidly and securely held in place.

Another feature resides in providing a coupling in which the parts of the coupling may be readily engaged or disengaged without removing screws or bolts or slides or catches.

Furthermore, the object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described that will be strong, durable, efficient, simple, and inexpensive to make and onein which the several parts will not be liable to get out of working order.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of the novel details of construction and operation, a preferable embodiment of which is described in the specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a partial elevation of the rear arm-support, back-rail, and back-board of a chair, showing our coupling applied thereto. vertical sectional view of the parts shown in Fig. 1 and taken on the line w as of the said figure. Fig. 3 is a plan view of a portion of the arm-support and illustrating the construction of the lower coupling member. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the upper plate, the back-board being removed and the back-rail being inverted to facilitate the illustration; and Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the upper coupling member.

It is to be understood that our improved coupling is designed to be used more especially in connection with knockdown furniture, and for the purposes of illustration we have chosen the joint between the rear armsupport, backrail, and back-board, although we wish it known that the coupling might be used at other points on the chair.

In the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the upper portion of one of the rear arm-supports, while the adjacent back-rail and back.

board are designated by the numerals 2 and 3, respectively. The coupling preferably'co r prises two members a lower member 4 and an upper member 5-the lower member being secured upon the support 1 by screws 6 and the upper member to the adjacent end of the back-rail 2 by screws 7. Each member is preferably formed of a single piece of metal, and the upper member is formed with an upwardly-extending flange 8, engaging the outer side of the rail 2, while at its opposite end it is formed with a downwardly-bent flange 9, set into the back-board 3 and provided with screw-apertures 10, through which suitable screws are passed to fasten it to the backboard. It is obvious that the upper member 5 is fastened to the back-rail 2 and backboard 3 and that the latter are thus fastened together.

The lower member 4 is formed at each end with downwardly-extending flanges 1 1 which lap over the front and rear sides of the support 1, thus being disposed at right angles to the flanges 8 and 9. A lug 12 is struck up from the lower plate, so as to stand parallel to the flanges 11, and disposed within the forward end of the member. A slot 13 is formed in the plate or member 4 near its rear end and at right angles to the lug 12. The support 1 is cut away or recessed beneath the slot, as shown at 14 in Fig. 2. The upper member or plate 5 is also formed with a struck-up lug 15, extending parallel to its flanges near its rear end and with a slot 16 near its forward end and lying at right angles to the lug 15. The upper plate 5 being secured to the under end of the back-rail 2 will cause the lug 15 to project downwardly. The upper rail is also formed with. a recessed or cut-away portion beneath the slot 16, as indicated at 17 in Fig. 2.

As before stated, the flanges of each member standing at right angles to each other and the lugs 12 and 15 of each member lying parallel to the flanges, it is obvious that when the coupling members are brought together their lugs will stand at right angles to each other, and the lug 12 of the lower member being disposed near its front end and the lug 15 of the upper member being disposed near its rear end it is apparent that the lug 12 will enter the slot 16 of the upper plate, which is disposed near the forward end thereof, and the lug 15 will project down into the slot 13, disposed near the rear end of the plate 4. The lugs passing through the slots will project into and fill the recessed portions 14 and 17. By this construction the plates are coupled at right angles to each other and a secure and positive connection had.

When it is desired to disconnect the backboard 3 and back-rail 2 from the arm-support, it is merely necessary to lift them upwardly, which draws the lug 15 out of the slot 13 and allows the lug 12 to ride out of the slot 16. The parts may be as easily and readily assembled. Of course it is to be understood that the coupling members described are provided on each side of the chair at the junction of the reararm-supports and the side rails and back-board or at any other point in the chair where they would be advantageous and efl'icac1ous.

We do not wish to limit ourselves to the eX act details of constuction herein set forth, as

we may make various changes in the same Without departing from the spirit of our 1nvention.

Having now fully described our invention, 0

what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A furniture-coupling comprising two members each formed with an opening extending entirely through the same and a flange, and each member also provided with a lug extending. upwardly therefrom at substantially right angles thereto and also at right angles to the opening thereof.

2. A furniture-coupling comprising a pair of plates each of said plates having a vertical lug upstanding therefrom and an opening therethrough, said plates lying face to face and both lying in a horizontal plane, each of said lugs being perpendicular to the face of 45 the plate by which it is carried, with the lugs of each plate engaging the openings of the other plate, the said lugs being parallel with each other when the parts are in their assembled position.

In testimony whereof we affiX our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES W. ZIMMERMAN. MORGAN E. BURKE.

Witnesses:

A. L. PHELPS, M. B. SOHLEY. 

